Crash and Burn
by Mrs Pettyfer
Summary: I had always hoped that the day a man proposed to me it would be somewhere romantic; on the beach, under the moonlit pathway, some exclusive getaway island, perhaps on a mountain...But no.


******Category: **Harry Potter  
******Author:** Mrs Pettyfer**  
****Title: **Crash and Burn  
******Pairing(s): **Rose/Scorpius**  
Genre: **Humor/Romance  
**Rating:** M for language  
**A/N:** First of all, the world and characters of Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling. So this came to me and I wrote this last night at like 3 in the morning..crazy, right? This is my second story in first person but as I started writing in third, it didn't have as much as an impact so I changed it to first. Rose is very comical in my opinion and I really enjoyed being in her head for this. So here's to a completely unromantic, uncliche, moment that's _supposed_ to be perfect. But how overrated is perfect, anyway? Enjoy the story!

**Casting:** Karen Gillan as Rose Weasley (19 1/2 years old); Alex Pettyfer as Scorpius Malfoy (20 years old). Seriously..you should Google Alex. He's beautiful..haha.

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"We are weaned from our timidity  
In the flush of love's light  
we dare be brave  
And suddenly we see  
that love costs all we are  
and will ever be.  
Yet it is only love  
which sets us free." - _Maya Angelou_

**Chapter 1 - Fire and Ice**

"There are so many things I hate about you that I don't know how I love you!"

If it hadn't been nearly silent with the exception of the soft hooting of owls from above than I might have missed the single most important exclamation to date from Scorpius Malfoy. But his words rang through the chilly air with a mixture of shame, annoyance, and above all, undeniable assurance.

The beginning of his statement was drowned by the last three words, which had caused my eyes to enlarge to enormous proportions and my breath to hitch in my throat. Yet as the chilly wind danced up my arms and caused me to shiver, I couldn't help the scowl that was forming on my face ever so slowly.

There were owl droppings on my new boots. My thin knit sweater wasn't durable enough for this ridiculous weather in the middle of March and it was raining profusely. As a visitor here at Hogwarts I knew I shouldn't be out this late, let alone in the Owlery at this time of night but here I was, dripping wet and freezing cold with my new boots ruined.

This wasn't exactly the moment I had envisioned all the times I dreamed of being swooped off my feet; a handsome wizard professing his love to me. In those petty little dreams I was definitely dressed better; preferably in a sweater my Nana hadn't knitted for me. I wasn't cold and my hair most certainly wasn't this wet or disgusting. You know how some girls have 'cute' wet, curly hair?

I'm _not _one of those girls. Mine gets so tangled I could pass as a sheepdog and it sticks to my face.

Still, I had no one to blame but myself for landing in this situation. I had followed Scorpius here after all.

No! It was his fault! I was determined to blame him for this. I had good reason to follow him and if he would have just talked to me like a normal human being instead of ripping my head off every damn day…well, I wouldn't be stuck in this bloody situation!

The scowl on my face deepened and I took in with envy how his sandy blonde hair looked perfect when wet and how his grey eyes reflected the glow of the moon that shone down from the open ceiling. He was tall, much taller than me and I had to lift my chin proudly so he could see the look on my face.

I was most certainly and positively furious with him.

"Marry me, Rose."

If my eyes were large earlier, they had magnified at least ten times and were now on the verge of popping right out. I felt frozen, like a fish out of water as I tried to formulate what to say next.

After at least two minutes of painful silence, I was able to splutter,

"What…w-w-what did you just say?"

"I don't think I need to repeat myself," he replied sharply, narrowing his silvery eyes in a way that somehow made me feel like the bad guy.

I took a moment to repeat what he had just asked…no, what he had just _demanded_. It wasn't even a question! Here, in the Owlery! Of all the places in the entire world, Scorpius had chosen THE OWLRY AT HOGWARTS in the middle of a storm! And you know what else? We aren't even dating anymore!

I had always hoped that the day a man proposed to me it would be somewhere romantic; on the beach, under the moonlit pathway, some exclusive getaway island, perhaps on a mountain…

But no.

Although the one man I truly had loved was present, the weather was horrible. I'm freezing…with my sheepdog hair and it's the middle of the night…and the Owlery! There's shit on my boots! And now probably in my tangled mess of hair but I couldn't feel it because of the bloody rain!

This was very, _very_ unromantic.

Scorpius is not my boyfriend because…well I don't even remember the reason anymore because it was THAT long ago and THAT stupid. Yet he just proposed to me! And look at the git! He's leaning against the stone wall with his arms all crossed; a scowl spreading across his face as if I had ruined Christmas. He had not dropped to one knee and where the hell was my ring?

You know, I knew the moment I accepted this job from Professor Lupin that this wouldn't end well.

Due to my late professor falling ill, Headmistress McGonagall had asked the Ministry to send a qualified Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to fill in the next two months so Remus could recover properly. That's where I came in.

I'm still an Auror in training but I know a great deal in regards to Defense Against the Dark Arts and unfortunately, so does Scorpius. We were actually off and on friends in school you see, brought together by my wonderful cousin Albus Potter. We dated off and on after fourth year…and actually, we were together the entire seventh year. It was my longest relationship to date and I was a little proud to be honest.

But after we graduated Hogwarts, Scorpius went off to train under Auror Pierre Dumont; one of the best in the world, according to my Uncle Harry. Sounds ideal, because I was to be an Auror too, right?

Wrong.

Mr. Dumont happens to work with the French Ministry and so Scorpius moved to France, leaving me behind. He asked me to go, but how could I? I wanted to train under my Uncle…I _had_ to train under my Uncle. Needless to say, Scorpius and I went our separate ways.

Oh yeah. That was the reason we broke up…

Anyway, that was two and a half years ago. I hadn't seen Scorpius much since then…here and there really. We didn't talk…especially not about the break up. I like to pretend things don't happen that are painful and that night qualifies perfectly.

So you can imagine my surprise when I hear from Uncle Harry, my superior ironically, that since I'm not fully qualified, I cannot teach on my own. Another Auror in training has to share my shift.

Uncle Harry did NOT tell me it was going to be Scorpius. I had to find out for myself, when the git waltzed into the Headmistress's study with an air of superiority. I'm sure the look on my face was priceless.

That encounter had been a month ago. The two of us were both teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, earning our credit hours that we needed to complete for education. But somewhere along the way, between the fights and conversations, old feelings had rekindled…whether I want to admit it or not.

So this brings me back to the present situation. Scorpius…doing what he always does and sending mixed signals. One minute he hates me, another he loves me. Can you believe all the times we dated, even in school, he never said he loved me?

I know I should probably etch this moment in my mind forever but I can't get over how…how terribly _awful_ his proposal was! No…his demand! I don't even think proposal counts.

I took a deep breath, readying myself for what was to come next. My eyes locked on his; hazel meeting silver in an even match of wills.

"No."

The owls seemed to have ceased their hooting just for me, for my voice echoed loudly against the stone walls surrounding us. The annoyed look on his face transformed so quickly it was hard to catch the different emotions that flashed across his features.

"Excuse me?"

"I said no," I told him more confidently, standing my ground and ignoring the slight shake of my voice. It was cold in here, damn it! "No, Scorpius, I…I won't marry you!"

Scorpius seemed to be trying very hard to come up with a coherent retort and I watched the way the muscles in his neck worked. I expected this reaction of the sort. Scorpius hated, _hated_ being told no. In fact I wasn't sure if anyone ever said no to him…except me of course.

I remembered what he had said earlier, regarding the words before the euphoric three worded phrase. Deciding I needed to shove the knife deeper, I added hastily. "And…and there's so many things I hate about you too!"

This seemed to throw him off slightly and he glanced at me, narrowing his eyes and taking a step forward.

"Really? Like what, Rose?"

"Well," I stuttered, placing my hands on my hips the way my mother did when she was scolding my dad. "You…you're an arrogant brat who has everything handed to you on a silver platter!"

He didn't seem offended. "And you're an annoying know-it-all who refuses to believe that someone might know more than you about something!"

I gasped at him, _extremely_ offended. "You're the most stubborn person I know and won't admit it if you're wrong…which is a lot, might I add!"

He took a step forward. I didn't notice. "You have the worst temper I've ever seen out of a woman. You'll get nowhere in life with your attitude."

"You always have to match!" I exploded, because this had _always_ annoyed me for years. "You can't go anywhere without a perfectly put-together outfit like a crazy girl!"

"You tap your nails whenever you're thinking and are completely oblivious to how annoying that sound is."

"You never allow your food to touch!"

"You cough without covering your mouth, as if everyone around you wants to get sick!"

"You cheated off me in Transfiguration!"

He gaped at me for a second before finding his wit. "That was like, five years ago!"

"So what?"

"So who cares?"

"I care!"

"Why do you care, it was one bloody question!"

"UGH!"

I threw my hands up wildly; completely enraged at Scorpius's audacity, his raw talent for making my blood boil. The rain had ceased and my recent anger had made my blood rush to the extent that I hadn't noticed the cold. But my adrenaline was slowing and a small shiver ran down my spine.

"Why are we even having this discussion?" I threw at him incredulously. "We clearly hate way too many things about each other to get married. Ever."

"Yes," Scorpius agreed, taking another step closer. "We do."

His words from before came back to me and I felt something flutter in my chest. I was trying to ignore what he had said, because the situation wasn't ideal but I couldn't get it out of my head. "But…but you said…you said you don't know how…you love me."

I swallowed hard, the words choking in my throat and coming out rather nasally. I groaned slightly, knowing I sounded like my idiot cousin Lucy.

"That's because I don't know how…I only know that I do."

Another step forward. Our toes were almost touching and I could see the slivers of water dripping down his face. My fingers tugged at my sleeves as I attempted not to fidget more than noticeable. I hadn't been this close to him for years and his icy breath was almost intoxicating as it floated in front of my face.

"But…how can you love me if you hate me?"

"I can ask you the same question."

I stared at him, my eyes locked on his. I had never told him I loved him either, even though I did love him and had for who knows how long.

"Because I love everything I hate about you," I breathed, admitting this horrible truth and wishing I could force my legs to run back to my dormitory. Back inside the castle where things made sense and Scorpius Malfoy didn't love me or ask me to marry him.

He smiled; a smile that was so beautiful that it almost killed me to see it because I had gone without it for so long. Somehow my hands had found his arms and I was gripping tightly, as if I was walking on thin ice and about to slip and fall.

Perhaps I was.

"How dare you!" I blurted suddenly. It was almost masked by a loud hoot from above but the conviction in my voice rang through sharply. Scorpius seemed ready to retaliate but I was quicker. "All these years, Scorpius! All these years and you ask me to marry you, _here_! Here in the damn Owlery on this random night!"

"I think you're scared."

His words sliced right through my heart and ended my train of thought. I took a step back. "Excuse me?"

"You're scared Rose," he repeated, his eyes narrowing in intensity. "You're scared and you know it."

"W-why would I be scared?" I asked, crossing my arms and hoping my voice came out stronger than it sounded in my ears.

"Because," his lip twitched slightly and I knew a smirk was about to form, "this isn't how you imagined it. You have this image built up in your head that you'd fall in love with someone perfect, who proposes on one knee on a mountain top and everything is so incredibly wonderful that you can't even picture anything less."

My jaw had somehow dropped at the accuracy of his assumption and I snapped it shut quickly, fumbling to make something coherent come out of my mouth. But he took a step forward and grabbed my icy hands in his.

"You're afraid because deep down, that image isn't what you want anymore. Because right now we're in the middle of a shit hole in freezing rain and I don't have a ring and I didn't drop to one knee. But yet there's a part of you that doesn't care…a part that wants to say yes. Because I'm the one asking."

I couldn't help it…a small smile formed on my lips because he was right. And he knew I knew he was right. Yet he was wrong on one minor detail. I tugged on his sleeve, staring at our hands interlaced. "But you never asked."

"I already know the answer."

I frowned at him. "Scorpius…"

He sighed and I knew he was humoring me. A small smirk played on his lips. "Rose Weasley, will you marry me?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, I found I wasn't cold anymore. I was smiling, wider than I had in a long time. And even though we weren't exactly on a mountain, we were high off the ground and the moon light did touch down on our faces from above. There was no beach, no glorious sunset or sunrise. We weren't surrounded by our dearest family and friends, but rather a variety of school owls used as messengers here at Hogwarts.

But we were hand in hand, at the place that brought us together.

And that was what was most important.

I took a deep breath and it came out shakily.

"So till death do us part, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse…and that whole bit, right?"

"Something like that," he mused with a smirk, tucking a wet piece of hair behind her ear.

"And you'll still love me through all that? For the next fifty some years?"

"Much longer than that," he said quietly, sliding a hand behind my neck; our gazes locked in a moment that belonged only to us.

I smiled at him.

"Yes," I answered with a nod. "I'll marry you, Scorpius."

His smile matched mine and before I knew it, he pulled me up and captured my lips in a passionate kiss. I smiled into his mouth, knowing that from this moment on I could kiss him whenever I wanted; that from now on, he belonged to me.

I knew the idea was crazy, that we were off and on more times than Albus and he served detention and that anyone with any amount of common sense would take things slowly, in the logical, normal way. But we were never really normal, were we?

Scorpius attached the letter from his jacket to a small tawny owl, the reason he had come here in the first place, before grabbing my hand and leading me out of the Owlery.

"What about my ring?" I asked him; ready to flash it in my families eyes the first chance I got.

He smiled, pulling me along at his side as we made our way down the wet, stone stairs. "Time to visit my parents."

My eyes bulged. "Do they know?"

"Not yet, but my mother thought you'd say no if I ever asked," he mused.

"Well she was right," I replied smugly. "I did say no at first and you DIDN'T ask."

"But I told her she was right, that you'd say no before you'd say yes," he corrected, tightening his hold on my hand. I narrowed my eyes at him but couldn't keep it very malicious because I was still too elated.

"How did you know that?"

"Because I know you better than anyone, Rose."

I smiled at him. "Well it's a good thing I'm marrying you then."

"Yeah," he agreed, kissing the top of my hand, "it is."

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**A/N: Awww they get married! lol I imagine Scorpius to ask for his mother's ring, which was probably passed down through the Malfoy family. I always pictured it to be an emerald rather than a diamond but that's just me. :P Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews make my day!**

**And oh yeah, Remus is alive, obviously. So is Tonks. How dare Rowling kill them! lol**


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